Surviving The Dark
by Hwikek
Summary: Six young people find themselves trapped.  There doesn't seem to be any means of escape.  Survival means running away, because they cannot stand and fight.  Yet they are not alone.  And the people they meet will be far more frightening than their prison.
1. Discovery

"Hey Osaka," said Tomo, "Why are we in here?"

"I'm not sure." The girl walked around the dusty room. She had come into this forgotten mansion with her friends Tomo and Yomi. There were pictures on the walls. Even a bench covered with cobwebs and dust.

The six friends had gone exploring while vacationing at Chiyo's summer home. They had split up into two groups about an hour ago. One went off to look in the woods, the other stayed behind to relax.

Tomo, Yomi and Osaka had wandered about before stumbling upon the dilapidated building. Its wood was decayed, its steps were broken, but the windows were still there. That had surprised Yomi, she had wanted to get a closer look. While she had inspected the glass Tomo had pushed open the front doors. The three of them had gone inside to continue their investigation.

"Maybe we should leave," said Tomo, "This place is pretty boring."

"Oh my god!" Yomi screamed, "What the Hell are these things?"

"What?" yelled Tomo and Osaka.

"Somebody help me! These things are so scary!" Yomi screamed.

Osaka and Tomo just looked at each other. They couldn't see Yomi, they didn't know where she was. The two of them weren't even sure when she had left. There was no way for them to find her. The two of them heard a low moan. A shadow appeared to their right. They ran out of the mansion as fast as they could. The two of them panted outside the doors. Tomo looked around noticing something important. Yomi wasn't with them. She was still inside the mansion.

"Hey you two," said Kagura, "Why were you inside that abandoned building?"

"We went to explore it with Yomi," panted Osaka, "When she went off by herself, pant, and we got scared, pant, and ran out. Pant, but Yomi is still inside."

The two continued to pant

"Will somebody help me? I'm going to die!" Yomi screamed from inside the mansion.

Kagura was shocked by Tomo and Osaka's irresponsible attitude. "Why didn't you two go to help her?" yelled Kagura.

"She's stronger than both of us combined," Tomo panted, "If she can't handle whatever is going on in there, how will we?"

Kagura heard her friend scream from inside the mansion. She couldn't stand it any longer. One of her friends was in trouble. She rushed inside the mansion. Not knowing what she would encounter, and not caring either.

Tomo and Osaka sat outside the doors on the grass. They occasionally heard screams come out of the old building. They wondered what had happened to Yomi and Kagura. They traded a nervous glance before hearing footsteps to their left. Chiyo and Sakaki appeared from the woods.

"Where did Kagura go?" asked Sakaki, "She said she was going to find you guys."

"Inside that creepy mansion," said Osaka.

"Why?"

"Yomi's trapped inside of there," said Tomo, "She went to go help."

"Why didn't you two go with her?" asked Sakaki.

"Yeah," said Chiyo, "Why didn't you?"

"Are you kidding me?" said Tomo, "Combined Osaka and I don't even equal the physical strength of Yomi! That's why Kagura rushed in there since she's worth like five Yomis."

"We should probably see how they're doing in there," said Sakaki, "I mean, just to make sure they're okay—"

"Run, run, run!" yelled Kagura and Yomi as they came out of the building, slamming the doors behind them. Their faces were white. They shivered as they leaned against the old wooden doors of the mansion. They panted heavily, gasping for air. Blood lined the sides of their shoes. The liquid stained their white sneakers, leaving red lines that dripped down to the Earth.

"What happened?" asked Chiyo.

"I have no idea," said Yomi, "But we were attacked by monsters!"

Everyone was surprised by this remark. Yomi had always seemed to be a skeptic. She had never listened to talk about folk remedies or ancient legends. In fact she had often mocked those that did. This wasn't like her.

"I thought you were smart," said Tomo, "Monsters aren't real."

"Shut up!" yelled Yomi, "We ran into monsters! Right Kagura?"

"I don't know," said the tomboy, "They looked like people. Yet they were covered in blood and flesh."

The fear on the faces of Kagura and Yomi was impossible to ignore. Kagura rarely seemed unconfident, yet she shivered at the slightest sound. Her eyes danced from side to side, looking, for what?

"Wha, what?" said a frightened Chiyo.

"I think we should call the cops," said Kagura.

"But they'll never believe our story," said Yomi.

"We'll just tell them that there are robbers here or something," said Kagura pulling out her cell phone. "What the Hell?" Her phone said no service. Kagura threw it onto the ground before smashing it with her foot. She looked like she was about to cry.

"I don't have any reception either," said Tomo.

"Me too," said Osaka.

"Let's just go back to my summer home," said Chiyo, "I'm scared."

"Not as scared as I am," said Kagura, "I pissed my pants!"

"Ow, ow, ow!"

"Oh my god!" yelled Tomo, "Sakaki is being attacked by a wild animal!"

"That's a cat," said Kagura, "This sort of thing happens all the time." She was glad for this small return to normalcy, even if it hurt her friend a little.

Kagura walked towards the girl. She smacked the cat on the head. Giving a hiss the animal ran away from them. Sakaki nursed her bleeding hand. Kagura shook her head at the girl.

"How do you fall for that every time?" asked Kagura, "Aren't you, like, brainy?"

"I have a weakness for cute animals," said Sakaki, lowering her head in shame.

"Oh come on," said Kagura, "We all have our own personal problems. I can't resist a challenge. But let's get the fuck out of here," said Kagura, with a shiver.

Two lean shapes appeared out of the trees. They looked like dogs, though something about them was different. The girls were unsure about these strange new beings. Even Sakaki was afraid of the animals. The creatures' mouths dripped with foamy slobber. They snapped and barked in at the six of them. Their yellow teeth dripped with saliva, their lips pulled back in a snarl. They started coming closer. The six girls backed up. More of the doglike animals appeared from the woods.

"What are we gonna do?" asked Osaka.

Kagura looked from left to right. There were about twelve of these dogs. She felt her book bag brush up against the doors of the mansion. Their only options were to stay out here with the creepy dog beasts, or to go inside, where the monsters dwelled.

One of the animals snapped at them, missing Yomi's hand by inches. _Fuck _it, thought Kagura. She pushed the doors open. The others rushed inside. They closed the doors behind them. Silence greeted their ears. Kagura was scared, she had just seen people covered in blood in this building. They might still be inside. Yomi shuddered as well, the creatures had tried to bite her flesh. Their lifeless eyes, she had seen those same eyes in the dogs. They looked out of the windows, the dog monsters were still out there. They couldn't leave, at least not yet.

Moans came from behind them. There was something else in the mansion. And while no one really believed what Kagura and Yomi had told them, besides Chiyo, they had seen the weird dogs. The idea that other strange beings inhabited the Earth was not that far fetched. The moans were becoming louder. Yomi rolled up into a ball on the floor, sobbing hysterically. Kagura slid down the door. She felt fear, fear she would never forget. Chiyo started to shiver as well. The first head appeared, and everyone knew, Kagura and Yomi had told the truth. There really were devils in the world.


	2. The Search

Minamo sat inside the summer home. She had spent the past five hours, well _wasted_ the past five hours, with Yukari. The girls had gone off on their own to _explore_, but what was taking them so long? She had thought the students would be bored after an hour or two and return. Minamo wasn't sure where they had gone, off to the woods they had told her. She wasn't sure why the two of them had let the girls go off on their own. Minamo was starting to regret it. She stood up, heading towards the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Yukari.

"I'm trying to be the responsible chaperone," said Minamo. Yukari's blank stare made Minamo angry. "Don't you remember that we're supposed to keep an eye on those kids?"

"Uh, I forgot."

"Whatever, I'm going to look for them. Wanna come?"

"No," said Yukari, "Actually yeah, I need to get out of this house. Why are Chiyo's parents too cheap to buy a television?"

Minamo shook her head at this statement. "The point of going on vacation is not to sit in your hotel and watch TV," said Minamo, "You should go outside."

"Where do think my sunburn came from?" asked the language teacher holding up her red arms. "That's why I _stopped_ going outside. I need to get some aloe on these things."

"We need to stop arguing and look for the girls," said Kurosawa, "If you want to come I'll see you in the car."

"Why don't we just call them?" asked Yukari.

Minamo gave a blank stare. _Why didn't I think of that?_ Kurosawa reached for her cell phone. She dialed in the number of Chiyo, a normally responsible individual. After four rings the girl didn't answer. Minamo left a message and called again. After leaving another message she decided to call Yomi.

_Why won't they answer?_ Minamo had called everyone. Starting with Chiyo and Yomi, then Sakaki and Kagura, Kurosawa had been reluctant to call Tomo and Osaka. The two of them weren't well known for responding well to questions. Yet after making twenty phone calls no one had answered. She was starting to get pissed. _Who the Hell do they think I am?_

"Where are we going?" asked Yukari in the passenger seat.

"I told you before numbnuts," Minamo complained, "We're looking for the girls!"

"But we're not gay—"

"That's not what I meant!" yelled Minamo. She shook her head in disgust. _Why is she so dense?_ Minamo tried to remember where the girls had said they were going. The sun was starting to set. The twilight made it hard to see things. Minamo began to feel fear. Not for herself, but for her students. She had always loved teaching. Watching her students grow had made her feel good inside. The idea that she had helped to bring a generation forward gave her the inspiration to continue her stressful career. Now those same students that she was trying to help were missing. She had to make sure they were safe.

The light kept getting dimmer. Minamo stopped at a local café, hoping to find out where her students were headed. Yukari was asleep in the car. Her snores were audible through the windows of the rental car. Minamo shook her head, she couldn't believe that her friend was so unconcerned by their students disappearance.

The people at the restaurant hadn't seen them. Minamo thanked the waiters for their help. She walked back into the parking lot, the sky was darkening even more. She got back into the car and started it up.

"What the Hell?" screamed Yukari.

"Jesus Christ!" yelled Minamo.

They started driving again. There were other stores and businesses to look in. Yet no one they talked to seemed to know where the children had gone. Minamo was worried at this point. She had a feeling that they wouldn't find them today. She looked at Yukari, who was still asleep.

"Damn it Yukari!"

"What happened?" asked the language teacher.

"You've been asleep while I've been looking for our students!" yelled Minamo.

"What students?" asked Yukari.

Minamo couldn't believe what this woman was saying. They had spent the past four hours driving around to look for them. Well Minamo had been looking, Yukari had been asleep. She saw another store. Pulling into the parking lot Minamo got out. Yukari rolled down the window of the car.

"Hey while you're in there buy some mini pizzas, and Heinekens."

"Why?" asked Minamo.

"Because I have a serious case of the munchies," said Yukari, "plus Heinekens are delicious."

"Wait, you've been high this whole time?" yelled Minamo.

"No," said Yukari, "That was just my college experience. I'm just lucky that they didn't kick me out for coming to class stoned."

"Well I'm not buying you mini pizzas," said Minamo. She went inside the story, despite Yukari's protests. She walked up to the counter. The clerk there claimed to have seen the children. He told Minamo that she should look for them in a nearby forest. They had gone into there earlier today. But it was almost nine o'clock at night. The students had been out for almost ten hours. Wherever they were, Minamo was going to kick their asses.

She wandered into the woods with Yukari. The two of them called out for the students. It was dark in the woods. The trees blocked out the light of the moon. The cold chill on their arms made them shiver. Mimano kept moving her flashlight back and forth.

"We've got Heinekens!" yelled Yukari, "If you get out here now I'll give you some!"

"Don't say that!" yelled Minamo, "Their parents will kill us, well you."

"You try finding them your way," said Yukari, "and I'll try it my way."

Then they noticed an old building up ahead, something glittered on the ground. Minamo rushed up to the broken material. It was a cell phone. Minamo saw that the building's windows were stained. It was a dark colored residue. Minamo shined her flashlight on the window. One thing that struck her immediately was that it was dripping. A dark dripping liquid. Minamo tried to push the door open, but it became stuck. Minamo continued to push against the door. She felt something slide, something heavy.

When she stepped inside the building she was shocked. Yukari came in holding a Heineken beer bottle. The bottle dropped onto the floor. The tinkle of glass shattering filled Minamo's ears. But bile filled her stomach. The item that had blocked the door was long, it was smelly, it was a human body. Yukari and Minamo quickly left the mansion. It was time to make a call.


	3. Hidden Hands

The creature's eyes looked upon the six of them. Its face was covered in dried blood. The red lips pulled back in a snarl as it moved towards them. It lumbered in their direction. The stench of decay assailed their nostrils. The creature shambled towards them. Osaka screamed and ran off, Tomo and Chiyo quickly followed her. Sakaki and Kagura tried to pull Yomi away. The girl was still in a protective ball on the ground. The monster was coming closer. Kagura was becoming frustrated with her.

"Damn it Yomi, GET UP!"

But she only started sobbing even more. Kagura needed to get her moving, or the three of them would die. She grabbed Yomi by the waist and yanked her up. Adrenaline had taken over her body. She dragged her friend in the direction the others had gone. Kagura looked over her shoulder to see the monster's hands reaching for Sakaki.

Kagura dropped Yomi on the ground. She looked for something to fight with. A piece of lumber lay on the floor. She grabbed it with both hands. The monster had grabbed onto Sakaki's arms. It pulled her towards its gaping maw. Sakaki struggled against the undead's grip. The creature's hold was as strong as iron. The creature slowly pulled her hands towards its open mouth. It was entirely focused on consuming the girl. Sakaki closed her eyes.

SPLAT

Something heavy fell onto her chest. A hand grabbed her arm like a vice. Just like the creature had done not a second before. Sakaki felt herself being forcibly dragged away. She saw the monster lying against the door. She looked up to see Kagura pull her underneath a shadowy doorway. She breathed a sigh of relief. But not for long.

None of the others were there. Shadows danced on the walls. Audible creaks came from beneath their feet whenever they took a step. More hungry moans could be heard from all around. They were alone. In the house of the damned.

Osaka, Tomo, and Chiyo panted inside the house. They had run away. Now they felt like cowards for leaving their friends behind. Tomo looked from side to side. Between her pants she heard the sound of moans. The same moans that had come out of the mouth of the demon.

"I wish we had just stayed at the house," Chiyo whimpered.

"Me too," said Osaka.

"Let's focus you guys," said Tomo, "We need to find the others…wherever they are…."

"You think they're still alive?" asked Chiyo.

"Nah," said Osaka, "I doubt that they got away."

"We got away," said Tomo.

"You're right," said Osaka, "And Kagura and Sakaki are fast…. But Yomi was coiled up into a ball. I don't know if she even saw that thing."  
"Do you think Miss Yomi is dead?" Chiyo whimpered.

"I don't know," said Osaka, "Maybe." Osaka looked down, her eyes began to tear.

"Shut up!" yelled Tomo, "Don't say that! I mean Kagura and Sakaki were with her, those two can handle anything…right?"

The silence that greeted her broke her. She felt something squeeze her stomach from inside. It was a feeling she rarely felt. Fear. The fear that someone special to her was dead. _It can't be true_, Tomo thought to herself, _maybe it's not true. I mean we never saw what happened to them._

The sound of moans filled their ears. They sounded closer. Dark shadows all around them, dancing around like the spirits of Tartarus' inner depths. They needed to find their friends. Otherwise they would be no match for the creatures of Hell.

Yet how would they be able to find them? They didn't know where they were. Running away from the monster had gotten them lost. They had simply run down a dark hallway. Now they were starting to regret it. One of them noticed an important feature on the floor. Footprints. Their own.

"Do y'all know what this means?" asked Osaka.

"I think I do," said Chiyo, "We can follow these footprints."  
"Yep," Osaka agreed.

"Wait a minute," said Tomo, "That's the direction the monster is in. I don't think we should go that way."  
"But the doors are that way," said Osaka.

"And our friends," added Chiyo.

"And it's dark and creepy that way," Tomo retorted.

"It's dark and creepy every which way," said Osaka.

"Not with my flashlight," said Tomo. She pulled the red gadget out of her book bag, flicking it on. A beam of blue-white light shone in the darkness.

"You brought one?"

"Whenever I go exploring I always bring a flashlight," said Tomo, "How else would I be able to see in the dark?"

"That means we can go to check up on Yomi, because it will be easy to see our footprints in this dust."

The three of them set off into the darkness. Only the beam of the flashlight lead their way. They marched on for what seemed like hours. Then they noticed that the floor was wet. Tomo shined the flashlight onto the boards. Red liquid greeted the three of them with an evil smile. Moans could be heard to their left and to their right. Tomo turned the flashlight off.

"Why in the heck did you do that?"

"Shhh!" Tomo covered Osaka's mouth. "Be quiet," she whispered, "Do you want them to hear you?"

Osaka shook her head from side to side, a frightened look in her eyes. Chiyo started to cry, as she pointed to something lying on the floor. Tomo bent over to see the object better. It was a pair of glasses, a red spot on the left lense.

Yomi lay in the darkness. She had been thrown somehow, by someone. Then she remembered where she was. Her glasses had fallen off. She stumbled into things as she tried to find them. A sickening splat filled her ears. As she tried to turn towards the sound she lost her footing. Falling backwards, through the wall. Hands clamped down onto her arms and legs. Their cold clammy feel caused her to panic. Two more hands wrapped around her throat. She felt her neck begin to bulge as air tried to get in.

_I'm going to die_. That thought filled her head as she became aware of the fact that she couldn't breathe. Through the hole in the wall she saw her friend Kagura. Yomi tried to scream, but there wasn't any air in her lungs. Yomi watched as Sakaki followed the tomboy, passing the hole in the wall without a care. Panic filled her mind as she tried to get away. Yet the hands that held onto her were simply too strong. They didn't seem to even register her struggling.

Yomi felt her chest buck wildly as it tried to pull in air. It was impossible to see now. She felt extremely tired. It was like she had run a marathon. As she closed her eyes things became clearer. She saw something strange. A mask. The mask looked down at her, foreign words came from beneath. Yomi let her eyes close, welcoming the darkness it gave. She was just so tired. All she wanted to do was sleep.


	4. The Investigation Begins

"_Hello?_"

"Hey Ken."

"_Jesus Nyamo, do you know what time it is?_"

"Nine thirty."

"_Well it seems later_."

"Who is this guy?" asked Yukari, "Your boyfriend?"

Kurosawa shook her head in disgust. "He's my cousin," said Nyamo, "He works for the FBI."

"_Hey_," said Ken, "_What do you need me for_?"

"Some students of mine are missing," said Nyamo, "And the local police won't help me."

"_What?_" Ken was surprised. "_Why won't they help you?_"

"Because I mentioned finding a body in some old mansion," said Nyamo, "Apparently they receive tons of tales about that place. Calls about moans from within, shadows that pass by the windows, screams. Anyone who mentions an old mansion around here is hung up on by the police. I need you to come here and help me." She told him where they were. How long the children had been missing. And how they had yet to call the parents.

"_I'll be there in an hour or two_," said Ken, "_You need to let the parents know about this…_tonight." He hung up.

The house seemed empty. Normally there were eight people in here swapping stories, or playing games. The silence that filled the living room was unnerving. The two of them looked down at the coffee table. They were all alone. Some vacation this had turned out to be.

"I can't believe that the children are really gone," said Yukari.

"You weren't so worried about them when we first started looking," said Nyamo, "In fact you were fast asleep. You even asked me to buy you beer and mini pizzas!"

"I didn't think they were dead!" yelled Yukari, "I thought they were just lost. Besides," she looked at Minamo, "If they had been out so long they would be hungry. What teenagers don't like mini pizzas?"

"Enough about the mini pizzas. There's no reason to believe that the girls are dead," said Kurosawa.

"We found a human body," said Yukari, "And even thought it was a man, I think it suggests that they might not be alive."

"We don't even know if they went inside that house," said Minamo, "For all we know they're lost in the woods."

"What about the broken cell phone we found on the ground?" asked Yukari, "I also think that some of them would have come to my offer of Heinekens." Minamo gave her friend an incredulous look. "Well okay," said Yukari, "Maybe Tomo would have wanted to try one."

"Would you have given them the beer?"

"Hell no," said Yukari, "I happen to be responsible, besides," she looked at the case of German imports, "These things are just too good to waste."

Minamo shook her head. She reached for one of the light beers. She took a sip from the bottle. The carbonated beverage tickled her tongue. She was worried about the students. They had just found a dead body. Its neck had been snapped. Dried blood had covered the corpse. Its teeth had blood on them. Minamo and Yukari hadn't explored any further. A dead body usually deters investigators…at least the civilian ones.

Minamo finished her Heineken. She set the green bottle on the coffee table. Her face was partially reflected in the small pool left at the bottom of the bottle. The green face that stared back at her summarized her emotions. Fear and guilt. Fear for their safety, and guilt for letting them go off on their own.

"Hey."

"Hmm?" Minamo looked up to see her friend Yukari. She was holding a bottle in each of her hands. Yet for some reason they were both sealed.

"Who is this cousin of yours?" asked Yukari, "Why haven't I met him before?"

"He's an American," said Minamo, "His name is Ken Sugimori."

"Then how will he be here in an hour?" asked Yukari, "America is several thousand Kilometers away."

"He's living in Japan," said Minamo, "It's a part of his job with the FBI."

"What do they have him do?"

"I'm not sure," said Minamo, "But he was good with disappearances back in America. He helped to solve a case that had been on file for nine years."

"I'm not familiar with law enforcement," said Yukari, "Is that special?"

"Yes," said Minamo, "Most crimes in America aren't solved after the first six or seven hours. Here in Japan that number is different."

"I'm sure it is," said Yukari, "But I have a much more important question about this Sugimori man."

"What is it?" asked Nyamo.

"Is he single?"

"This is _not_ the time to ask those kinds of questions," said Kurosawa, "People we were supposed to look after are missing. I think that takes precedence over the fact that you can't get laid!"

"Correction," said Yukari, "_You_ can't get laid. I, on the other hand, have no trouble with it."

"Just shut up," said Nyamo, "You're driving me crazy."

Ken knocked on the door of the house. He waited for the door to open. It was almost midnight. _Damn it_, thought Ken, _would you open the fricking door?_ He heard a creak as the door opened up. Stepping inside he looked at his cousin. She looked the same, she always had. Someone else was with her. _Who the Hell is she?_

"Hey Ken."

"Did you call the parents yet?"

Minamo turned away from him. "Not yet…I think we'll do that tomorrow."

"You always wanted to be responsible," said Ken, "Yet the moment you _have_ to take responsibility…you don't. I must say I'm disappointed in you."

"Shut up Ken!" yelled Nyamo, "You always thought you were—"

"Listen to you," said Ken, "If we don't get started on this investigation soon…those kids will be gone. If you two haven't had too many of those," Ken pointed at the box of Heinekens, "drive me there."

They three of them sat in the car. Ken looked out the windows. Every shadow he saw might be one of the girls. _Two tall ones, three normal ones, and one short one._ He hadn't seen any women since they had started driving. All the people about were men, and quite a few of them seemed to be tourists. _It is the summer_, thought Ken, _I usually don't see so many foreigners like me around_. Ken noticed that the closer they got to the woods, the less Japanese there were. _What the Hell?_ There were only white people about now, a lot of them. They looked like Americans. _Don't those two notice this?_ Minamo and Yukari seemed oblivious to them. _They must be worried about their students_.

Minamo watched as the road brought them closer to the forest. The closer they were to that body, the more plausible Yukari's words became. _What if they're dead? What will I say to their parents?_ She had told them to be back before it was dark. Now it was one in the morning. _I have to find them. If I don't…I don't think I can forgive myself._

"This is the place," said Yukari.

Ken got out of the car. He followed the two women into the dark. Their flashlights danced across the forest floor. There was someone up ahead. Ken could see him. The man stood with his backs to them, and a small zip-up bag rested on his hip. Ken knew that he wasn't someone who was just drunk and lost. This man was armed, he carried a bag similar to that used by the United States Secret Service. He was a threat, one that stood in Ken's way. A mistake.

"Hey." A voice in English. The man turned around to see three people.

"What are you people doing here?"

"I'm with the police," said Ken, "And you are obstructing my investigation."

"You don't have any right to come over here."

"Really?" asked Ken, "What are you?"

"I'm an American."

"So you think you can't be touched here?" asked Ken.

"You can't touch me here," said the man.

"Really?"

"Yeah, you god damn jap."

Ken was done talking to this man. The rude man was knocked down by Ken's right fist. The man rolled on the ground. He was not quite unconscious, and he was pissed off. The man picked himself up off of the ground. He reached for his bag.

Ken was still faster. He fired off a round. The bullet tore into the man's face. A red puff flowed behind his head. Ken flicked his safety switch. He placed the Glock 23 back in its holster. Located inside his shirt.

"What did you just do?" asked Minamo.

"He tried to pull out his weapon," said Ken, "If I had been slower, he would have killed me."

"What?"

"Look inside his bag," Yukari rummaged around, pulling out a pistol of some sort. "That's American," said Ken, "An M1911 to be precise."

"How can you ignore the fact that this man is dead?" asked Minamo.

"It isn't the first time I've done this, and it won't be the last. We need to find those children," said Ken, "I think we're running out of time."

"Why?" asked Nyamo. She was still shocked by Ken's cold blooded actions. How he had knocked a man down, before shooting him to death. This wasn't the Ken she knew. This person was different. Ken was always so patient and calm.

"This man isn't alone," said Ken.

"What?" said Minamo and Yukari.

"Look at his ear. That device there is some sort of headset. It means that he was working with someone." Ken turned to Yukari. "Could you hand me that?" Yukari looked at the pistol in her hands. Ken had called it an M1911, Yukari thought it was just a gun. She handed him the pistol. Ken released the magazine, pocketing it, along with the firearm.

"We should look inside that mansion," said Ken, "I have a feeling that it will be an important part of this investigation. Especially since this man was so close to it."

Ken followed Minamo and Yukari up to the mansion. A sound caused him to look to the left. An animal jumped out of the woods. It was a dog. The creature's mouth was covered in blood. Ken fired his Glock 23 into the animal. His shot penetrated through the animal's brain. Two more of the blood-soaked creatures appeared. Ken blew them away. Seven more appeared out of the darkness. Ken fired at them.

_Click, click._

Ken reached for another magazine. He looked around. None of the dog monsters were left. Ken opened the doors. He saw the body. _Definitely a man_. Ken looked around at the interior. There were footprints on the floor. Some of which went to the left. Ken headed in their direction. Minamo and Yukari followed him inside. Ken turned on his flashlight. The beam showed him blood on the floor. A pair of glasses lay on the ground. The left lens had blood on it.

"Oh my god," said Minamo, "Those are Yomi's glasses."

Minamo felt bile fill her mouth. _They really are dead..._ Tears were in her eyes. Her students, were gone. _It's all my fault_. Minamo felt guilty, she had let them go, now they were…dead? Minamo didn't want to believe they had died. Yet it seemed as if there was no other alternative. The bloody lens made Kurosawa realize that she had failed. Yukari was just as shocked as Minamo was. The idea of some young girl's life being over…it was most unsettling.

Ken looked at a hole in the wall. There was something interesting about it. Especially the man inside of it. _What an idiot_.

"Freeze FBI!"

The man didn't seem to move. There was something interesting about the man's face. He had a riot mask on. Ken reached for his service pistol. The man ducked down. Ken knew he was gone. He hadn't been able to capture anyone alive yet. Then Minamo screamed. Yukari was on the floor. Someone stood over her, blood dripping from his mouth.


	5. Steps Into Darkness

"Yomi's…dead?" whispered Tomo.

"Are those even her glasses?" asked Osaka.

"I assume so," said Chiyo.

"Then I'm scared," cried Osaka, "Because Yomi was about as tough as the three of us combined."

"Tougher really," said Tomo, "We have to drag Chiyo around."

"Where are Kagura and Sakaki?" Chiyo whined.

No one knew. They were lost in the dark building. However even with the flashlight off they could see. Nothing moved in the darkness, only the blank walls stood out.

Tomo fell onto her knees. _My best friend...she's gone._ The thought filled the young girl's mind. She had always been sure that they would live forever. Death was something that she didn't understand. And something she knew little about.

"What's that hole for?" asked Osaka.

"Old buildings have holes in them Miss Osaka." Tomo turned to see Chiyo looking at her spacey friend. "I don't think that it's that significant."

"Do you really think Yomi is dead?" asked Osaka.

"I hope not," said the young girl, "Miss Yomi was always there for me."

"Yeah, not like Tomo."

Takino had an evil glare on her face. _Stupid Osaka_, she thought, _I should knock her through one of these walls_. The walls seemed closer to them now. As if they had moved slightly. The three continued in the direction of the door. A body blocked their escape. Its head lay at an unusual angle. The eyes were lifeless and glossy.

"Isn't this the monster?"

"It's the monster and it's dead Tomo," said Osaka.

"So we can open the door and escape!" yelled the energetic girl.

The three of them looked out the window to their right.

"Those dog things are gone too."

"The perfect escape," said Takino. She had a triumphant smile on her face.

"What about the others?" asked Mihama. The little girl's face showed guilt, guilt for being safe when her friends were not.

"I do feel bad leaving without them," said Tomo, "But odds are that they're dead like Yomi." Tomo looked down at the floor.

"We can call the police when we get out of here," said Kasuga.

"Yeah," said Tomo, "We can bring Minamo along too. She can handle anything."

The three of them pushed the door open. The sun was bright, not a cloud in the sky. The three students walked down the hill. Two men stood near the base, guns in their hands. Tomo pulled out her phone, she dialed the number for the police.

"Put that down," said one of the men. _English_? Tomo was surprised by these words. The man held some sort of military weapon. Tomo shivered as it was pointed at the three of them. She pressed the End Call button. She set the phone on the ground.

"Good. Loyd, get 'em to the ground."

The other man pulled out a syringe. He turned towards his associate.

"Lethal?"

"No Loyd. Boss doesn't want us to kill these japs no more. Says that each dead body is a real nuisance to dispose of."

Tomo wasn't able to understand all of the words that came out of their mouths. She knew that they weren't her friends. Whoever they were she had no doubt that these people didn't care about what happened next.

"Whatever you say you damn Brit." The man started walking towards them. His gait was neither fast nor slow. The distance between him and the girls decreased greatly.

The man with the syringe was much closer. Tomo wanted to fight him, but the man called Brit pointed his gun at her. It was only a few more seconds until Loyd slammed the needle into her arm. She fell onto the grass lying still. Chiyo started to cry again. Loyd pulled his syringe out of Tomo. Chiyo and Osaka were next.

Kagura and Sakaki were lost inside of the mansion. They had passed by a pair of glasses a while ago. The red spot on one of the lenses had made Sakaki and Kagura worry about their friend Yomi. They didn't have anything to help them. _Oh_,Kagura reached into her book bag. She pulled out a book.

"_The Zombie Survival Guide_?" asked Sakaki.

"I always thought of it as a joke," said Kagura, "Now I think it has some merit."

"It is a joke," said Sakaki, "Max Brooks wasn't serious when he wrote that."

"Well it's certainly better than nothing," said Kagura, "What do you have that can help us?"

Sakaki looked at her friend. She had to admit that they didn't have anything else to go on. For now _The Zombie Survival Guide_ by Max Brooks would be their only hope. Sakaki didn't say it out loud though. It was simply too embarrassing.

"We need to find the others," said Kagua, "I think we'll find them if we go to the left."

"Well you did come inside of here before," said Sakaki."

"I didn't come this way though."

"Okay," said Sakaki, "So why do you want to come this way?"

Kagura looked at her friend from the corner of her eye.

"Just trust me on this," said the tomboy.

"Damn it Loyd."

"Oh shut up."

"I told you _not_ to kill them."

"They aren't dead you stupid Brit," said Loyd, "These girls are still alive."

"Whatever. Just make sure they don't die on us."

"Fine fag smoker."

"I hate you Loyd."

"Not as much as I hate you, fag smoker."

The two of them carried the three girls into a van. The white Toyota sped away as Tomo, Osaka, and Chiyo were loaded into the back. Loyd watched as his associate lit up a cigarette. _I knew that fags were bad for you_, Loyd thought to himself.

"Where are we?" asked Sakaki.

"I don't know," said Kagura, "But look, footprints!"

"Those might be someone we know," said Sakaki.

"My thoughts exactly," said Kagura, "Let's go."

The two of them walked on. Step after step into darkness. The smell of mold filled the air. Sakaki watched as she followed her shorter friend. Despite not being born in Japan the girl had managed to fit in…somewhat. She was different than most of the people she knew. Her best friend Kagura seemed to admire Sakaki for her differences, since she was her biggest form of competition. Sakaki liked the girl but Kagura was also a little bit of an idiot. Maybe relying on the tomboy's judgment wasn't the best idea.


	6. Ken Sugimori

"Ken!"

"I know," said Sugimori, "We need to get her somewhere."

Yukari groaned with pain. She had been attacked by the monster. She had been knocked to the ground, hitting her head against the hardwood floor. Ken had shot the assailant in the face. Ken and Minamo picked the woman up off of the floor. They had started heading towards the car.

"Where's am I?" asked Yukari.

"What's her name again?" Ken asked Minamo.

"Yukari."

"Okay," said Ken."

"Where's am I?"

"What's happened to her?" Kurosawa had a scared look on her face. This woman was a friend of hers. She taught foreign languages to students. Now she wasn't able to speak properly.

"Seems to be perseveration."

"What?"

"It's a condition where people repeat a word or phrase," said Ken, "It's often caused by brain injuries and it suggests that she has a concussion. We need to get her to a hospital."

"I know that," said Minamo, "What else would we do if she has a concussion?"

"Just calm down," said Ken, "Okay Kurosawa?"

"You always tried to be in charge," said Minamo, "Even when we were kids."

"It hardly matters right now does it?" asked Ken, "I'm the one who knows the most about what is going on. I need you to stay safe, and the best place for that will be in the nearest town."

"You might be older than me Ken but you can't control my life!"

"I'm not trying to control your life," said Ken, "I'm merely trying to preserve it. So will you please take her there?"

Minamo looked at Ken's face. His eyes seemed to plead with her. It was almost as if they knew something, something that they didn't want to say. There was also sadness in his features, a look of guilt. This was something Minamo couldn't understand. He had nothing to hide.

Ken had never been a mysterious person. Her cousin had always been so open about his life. The fact that he worked for the FBI was something he had openly admitted to her. Even the most intimate things about his personal life were things that he told to her. Yet today he was different. He had killed a man, then said it wasn't anything new. Now he had told her about brain science. _Who is he?_

She had never known why he told her so much about himself. The two of them had been close. They had seen each other every year, when Ken's father brought him to visit. During those summers Ken had shown an unusual amount of patience for a child, even when Minamo had pestered him for being taller than she was. She had always tried to show that she was tougher than Ken was. One day that had gotten her into trouble.

The two of them had walked down a street in the Tokyo metropolis. She had wanted to race with her older cousin. He had refused, on the grounds that it would have been unfair.

"Unfair?" Minamo had said, "Why, because you would lose?"

"No," Ken had told her, "I'm twelve, you're eight. I can run circles around you."

"No you can't!" the young Kurosawa had yelled, "I'm just too fast for you that's all."

She had run off then to try and prove it. She had run until her lungs felt like they would detach. Ken had stood behind her, waiting for his younger cousin to catch her breath. The idea that he had easily kept up with her infuriated Minamo. But her anger was diverted by the site of two unwelcome faces. Bullies from her elementary school.

"Well if it isn't little old Spit," said one of the boys.

"Why did he call you Spit?"

"Because when he beats me up I spit at his face," Minamo told Ken.

"I think we'll get you to spit at us some more."

Ken had pushed Minamo behind him. This had made Minamo even more upset. _Why is he always getting in the way? I can beat them this time_, Minamo had thought to herself. She had snuck underneath Ken's legs.

"I can beat them this time," she had told him.

Before Ken could stop her, the other kid had thrown a punch at him. Ken caught the blow with his left hand. He had then smashed his attacker's testicles with his right foot. When the boy had kneeled down in pain, Ken had slammed his elbow onto the back of his head. A kick to the ribs caused the boy to curl up into a protective ball.

Minamo had been knocked aside by the older boy. Blood dripped from her nose as she lay on the sidewalk crying. This had made Ken mad. The young boy had tackled the attacker. His right fist smashed the bully's nose to a pulp. He had then let the two brats runaway. He had looked at the young girl, curled up and sobbing.

"It's okay now," Ken had told her, "Let's get you home.

Minamo had looked up into her cousin's kind brown eyes. She felt safe under his care. He had picked her up off of the ground, getting her back to the house.

After that day Minamo had stopped trying to challenge Ken. She had thought of him as her brother. She had felt safe every summer when he had been nearby. Then one summer Ken told her that his father had decided to move to Tokyo. Minamo was ecstatic about the idea, until she learned that Ken was staying with his mother, in America.

"Why?" Minamo had asked Ken.

"They're divorced," said Ken, "Didn't you know that?"

"No," she had felt bad for him, "I didn't."

Ken merely shrugged. He didn't seem to be concerned with the fact that his father was moving out.

"Well you always learn something new everyday," said Ken, "Especially when I'm around."

Ken hadn't been around while Minamo had entered high school since he had gone to Berkeley. During her summers she felt lost without him. She was afraid of the people who were bigger than she was. To try and compensate for the fact that her protector was gone, Minamo had gotten into shape. When she saw him again after he had completed his degree, she had cried with joy. She had been even happier when she learned that he was moving to Japan.

"Why did you decide to move here?" she had asked him.

"My job," said Ken, "I work for the FBI now."

"You're a policeman?"

"Yep, Nyamo."

She had cringed at the nickname.

"Where did you hear that?"

"It was on your MySpace," said Ken, "From YTKrazy."

"Damn her," Minamo had said under her breath, "Well I'm just glad that you'll be nearby."

"Don't you start college soon?"

"Yeah, here in Tokyo actually."

Ken had given her a smile. "Then I guess we'll stay in touch."

She snapped back to the present. Her best friend Yukari resting on her shoulders. Ken looked at her with his kind eyes.

"Please?" Ken asked his younger cousin.

"Where will you be?"

"I'll look for these children," said Ken, "I just want to make sure you're alright." He looked at Yukari lying on Nyamo's shoulders. "Is this that Yukari you mentioned to me before?"

"Yeah."

"You sure make strange friends."

Minamo watched as Ken headed towards the mansion. _I know he'll be alright_, she thought to herself, _but I hope he can find the girls._ She helped her friend into the car. She thought about her cousin as she drove towards the hospital. The only person she could still rely on.


	7. From The Darkness

Ken watched from the shadows as his cousin drove away. The air was cold like the hands of a witch. The moon was bright in the sky. Ken tried to stay beneath the shade of the trees. He reached for his phone. It rang three times before the man he needed to talk to picked up.

"_Hello?_"

"This is Special Agent Sugimori."

"_Oh_," said the man, "_How's everything in Tokyo?_"

"Bad," said Ken, "I think we might have a serious problem here."

"_How serious?_"

"I've encountered a couple of untouchables."

"_You're kidding me._"

"No I'm not," said Ken.

"_We'll try to get some support to you_," said the man, "_Whatever you need Ken. I can get the Japanese and NATO on this as soon as possible._"

"Thanks Director," said Sugimori, "But what I want from you right now is something else."

"_Just tell me what it is son. I promise you that I'll make it happen._"

Minamo walked towards Yukari's hospital room. She noticed that there was another room to her right. The person inside was heavily bandaged. Black hair poked out from beneath one of the bandages covering her scalp. Minamo gasped. She knew who this person was, Sakaki.

"Excuse me, nurse?"

"Yes?"

"When was this girl admitted to the hospital?"

"A couple of hours ago," said the nurse, "Let me see." The woman flicked through several pages of patient information. Finally she found the data. "This girl was admitted at 7: 30 this evening. Why?"

"I'm her chaperone," said Minamo, "She's been missing for a while."

"How did you lose her?" asked the nurse.

"She and some friends went off to explore the area," said Kurosawa, "The rest of them are still missing." Minamo looked at the girl, she could only see her eyelids, the rest was bandaged up. "Will she make it?"

"The doctors think so. These injuries are mainly superficial, they don't go very deep. It was almost like she was scratched by wild animals," said the nurse.

Kurosawa knew what this meant. _They did go into the mansion. _Minamo decided that she needed to call Ken. It started to ring, then it instantly redirected to his voicemail.

_"Hi this is Special Agent Sugimori. I'm busy right now so please leave a message."_

Minamo called him six more times. Ken never responded. Minamo didn't know what to think. This was unlike him. She had to give him this information. Then she received a text message. _In tight spot. Call later_. Minamo was worried by this message. Ken could take on anything…couldn't he?

"So now we have four captives," said a man in a business suit.

"Yes Chairman," said Lyod, "One was found by the execution squad. The others by me and Jake."

"I see. You ex-royal marines seem to be worth your wages so far. Just keep it that way, alright?"

"Yes sir," said Lyod.

"Make sure that they stay sedated. The last thing we need is one of them escaping from us. That might jeopardize the entire operation."

"Don't worry sir," said Lyod, "We won't take any chances."

"Just keep them alive until our waste disposal system is fully functional." The Chairman looked around at the people assembled in front of him. They were all ex-military, paid to do whatever was asked. Russian paratroopers, French Legionnaires, US Army Reserve members, they all had their price. And they were all corruptible.

"Just make sure that you find any other intruders," said the Chairman.

"There won't be anymore intruders," said Lyod, "We got Brian guarding the front. No other unguarded entrances to speak of."

"Fine," said the Chairman. He left the room.

The men he had been talking to watched him leave. That man was their meal ticket, not to mention someone they feared. He had fought one of them in a friendly match. In only a second he had brought down an ex-marine instructor. Trifling with him was not recommended. Lyod looked at his watch. It was 2:00 PM.

Ken pushed open the front door. His Glock 23 in his right hand. The entrance room was dark. He took a flashlight out of his pocket. The bright LED light gave him the ability to see. Ken followed the footprints. He couldn't find the glasses from before. It was now 3:23 AM. Ken wasn't tired though, he was still wide awake.

Footsteps behind him. Ken turned around to see another monster. His Glock 23 ended its life quickly. Two more of the creatures rushed towards him. Ken shot one in the face, snapping the other's neck with his right elbow. He was a master of Muay Thai, the science of eight limbs. He kept going down the hall. There weren't any more monsters.

A section of wall started to move. Ken readied his weapon. The flashlight was clicked off. The section of wall broke open. Five men in riot gear stepped out. Ken watched them come closer to him. He pulled out the M1911. One of the men nearly tripped over Sugimori.

Ken kept the man quiet by quickly slamming his fist into his neck. The man was knocked down. Ken used his legs to choke the person to death. The others raised submachine guns. Ken fired the M1911 at their eyes. Four more corpses hit the floor. The M1911 only had three shots left in it. Ken removed the magazine, placing it inside his coat.

He decided to go inside the hole in the wall. He turned the flashlight back on. It was an extremely open space. There were footprints to Ken's right. He headed in that direction. He had a feeling that the people he was looking for would be over there.

"_Are you sure about this Director?_"

"Yes I am Mr. President. Ken Sugimori has seen these failed science experiments before. If anyone can assess how dangerous they are it's him."

"_What did he want you to do?_"

"Get SEALs guarding some cousin of his," said the Director.

"_Team Six?_"

"He requested 1st SFOD-D," said the Director, "But I was told by SOCCOM that they were currently deployed else where. SEAL Team Six was one of his alternates."

"_Just as long as he can keep this under control_," said the President, "_I was hoping that the untouchables were gone_."

"We all were Mr. President," said the Director, "Me more than anybody."

"_Just make sure that these things are dead this time_," said the President, "_I don't want anymore outbreaks._"

"Ken can handle it sir."

"_Good_." There was a pause on the phone. The Director could hear the President talking to someone. "_If Sugimori can't end this in three days, the Japanese Prime Minister has given me authorization to deploy Seventh Fleet and the Marines. Once they get there, they _will_ kill everything that moves._"

"I'll be sure to tell him that."

The two men talked a while longer. Then the President said he had a meeting to be at. The Director hung up. He had other things to do as well. Not all of them things that the President needed to worry about.

Ken followed the walkway for an hour. He saw two lights up ahead. His flashlight had been off for twenty minutes, they weren't reflections. These lights moved up and down, from side to side. They had to be connected to weapons. Probably MP5s.

Ken watched the lights move closer. He inserted another clip into the M1911. He watched as the lights moved closer and closer. The beams shone against the nearby wall. Ken's face was only inches away from the spotlight. Then they suddenly turned to the right.

"Holy shit!"

"How did they breach the outer wall?"

"Just shut up and shoot them!"

RATATATATAT

There were several clicks. The men's clips were empty.

"ARGH!"

"DAMN IT!"

Ken watched as one of the men backed up attempting to reload. Another monster came up out of the dark. The creature bit through the screaming man's throat. Another creature knocked the MP5 from his hands. Ken tried to stay quiet. He could hear the sound of teeth ripping through flesh. The creatures were entirely focused on their meal. Ken hoped it would stay that way for a while. Then his phone rang, he had forgotten to turn it off.

Ken pulled out his Glock 23. He had a pistol in each hand. Something that was not recommended back at Quantico. Ken had faith in his abilities though. The cell phone continued to ring. The creatures came closer. Ken fired his two weapons.

BANG BANG BANG

Bright flashes of light took down seven of the creatures. They rushed at him. The M1911 went click click. Ken dropped the weapon. Soon his Glock clicked as well. Ken readied himself dropping his sidearm. He lashed out with his hands. The fast blows shattered necks like ice. One of the creatures grabbed his right arm.

Ken yanked the zombie towards him. His left elbow slammed into the side of its neck. The creature let go. Ken saw that there were still ten of the monsters. But they weren't next to him. He rushed towards the group of ten. He grabbed a hold of one of the zombies, spinning it around he slammed it into the others. They crashed onto the floor, limbs flailing in agony. Ken reached for the MP5 as the demons started to get up.

Ken raided the pockets of the still bleeding man. He found two clips. Setting the Heckler and Koch creation to its burst feature Ken aimed at the ten beasts.

BRATBRATBRAT

Red puffs of vapor appeared behind the creatures. Their brains were destroyed with the ten bursts of the MP5. _Click, click_.Ken released the spent magazine. He walked back towards his Glock 23. Picking it up Ken reloaded the weapon. He was lost in the darkness, but not for long.

He continued to look through the pockets of the dead men. Eventually he found what he was looking for. A map. He looked at his phone. Seven missed calls from _MK_. Ken sent his cousin a text message. He turned the device off, he had more important things to do.

"Oi, Lyod!"

"What Jake?"

"The Execution squad ain't respondin' mate."

"Just send in some blokes to check it out."

"Oi you there!" said Jake, "Go with Samson and find out what's going on."

Two men walked away, carrying AK-103s. They moved to an opening in the wall. One of the men turned around to say something to Jake.

BRATBRATBRAT

Red blood sprayed out of his face. The other man was shot down too. They collapsed against the floor. Jake reached for his AR-15.

BRATBRATBRAT

Lyod had ducked behind a couch. He watched as Jake was knocked over. The two ex soldiers grabbed a hold of their weapons. They couldn't see the attacker, but he would die. Just like that girl who had gotten in the way.

RATATATATAT

Jake fired the Armalite creation at the darkness. Lyod shook his head at the man. Despite the training he had been given, Jake acted like a novice. Holding down the trigger till the magazine was empty. Lyod aimed the G3A3 in his hands at the darkness.

BRATBRATBRAT

Whoever was attacking them was still alive. Lyod reached into his pocket. The radio transmitter had a panic button on it. The assailant was doomed the moment Lyod pressed the switch.

Movement.

Lyod fired his battle rifle at the shape. Bullets bounced off of the concrete floor in front of him. Lyod ducked back behind the couch. He heard Jake scream. Poking his head back around the G3A3 was knocked out of his hands. The face he saw shocked him.

"I killed you."

"What?" the person asked, "Did you think that I can't swim?"

The attacker placed an MP5 barrel against Lyod's head. The hot steel burned his skin. Lyod couldn't believe what this. He had pushed this person into a pool of black water, while their hands and feet were bound.

BANG

After finishing off Lyod the assailant headed towards the opening in the wall. Reaching down the individual picked up one of the AK-103s. The bolt came back with a satisfying ring. Kagura's work here was done.


	8. Suspense

"Are they full developed?"

"Not quite," said the Chairman.

"They need to be done today. My contacts have told me that NATO has learned about our project. We have to hope that they don't know everything. If they did though," said the man, "I'm sure that we would have seen a sign of it."

"They always act the same. That failure in Russia only proved their lack of originality. Since they haven't launched an assault force on our facilities here in Japan, I think they are still in the dark."

"We can't ignore them though," said the Chairman, "That would be a mistake."

"We could create an outbreak in Europe. That would definitely slow them down. Maybe causing a similar incident in the United States will slow down the President."

"Such an idea is too risky though. The subjects can't be controlled yet. The Execution Squad has been forced to eliminate over 10,000 kilograms of failures." The Chairman looked at the five men who sat next to him. Not one of them could be trusted, and neither could he.

"It would seem that you are not handling this well," said a man with white hair, "Should I tell the boss about your incompetence?"

"Patience. We need to pool all of our assets into this enterprise. Success here, means we have conquered all," said a man with scars on his face. "And failure means the end of the company. The boss certainly will not like that."

"How easily can we initiate our plan?" asked the white haired individual.

"All we need to do is open one door," said the Chairman, "And it's already unlocked."

The other men nodded in approval. _Even if I can't trust these men, I can still use them. All I have to do is remember that they will kill me if I can give them the chance._ The Chairman smiled. _But I'll kill them first. The boss likes me more than he likes them._ His guards would destroy the five of them as soon as the outbreak occurred. He could see the five of them lying in pools of their own blood. He saw their hollow lifeless eyes. It made him smile.

Minamo stood in the hospital, her friend Yukari walked up next to her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Crappy."

"Good," said Minamo, "because you had me worried."

"I didn't hear that," Yukari placed a hand against her head. "Who are those guys?"

"Maybe they're seeing someone?"

"But they look just like that person who Ken," Yukari paused, she remembered the red spray that had come out of the person's head. The way that his head had sickeningly been yanked backwards. Yukari paused, her eyes became troubled.

"You're right," said Kurosawa.

"What should we do?"  
"Let's go."

"What about Sakaki?"  
Minamo looked through the window. The girl lay on her bed, fast asleep. _These people are the reason she's here_. One of the men came up to her, then walked right by her. Minamo was shocked by his reaction.

"Who is this person again?" asked one of the men.

"I dunno," said a dark haired man, "some Kuro-something."  
"Focus you two," said a man with dark skin, "We need to find this person, tonight."

"It's too bad that we don't know what she looks like."

"I hear ya," said the dark haired man, "Would it have killed them to give us a picture?"

"Seems like it," said the dark skinned man.

"Well I hope that damn Ken person shows up."

"Agreed," said the dark haired man, "Otherwise we won't be able to find her."  
"Don't these people speak English?"

"Some of them might."

Screams could be heard. The seven men looked at each other in confusion. One of them reached inside his coat.

"Sweep this area!" yelled a man with a riot mask. The dark haired individual wrapped his arm around the man's throat. Ten masked men rushed in, they aimed their assault rifles at the dark haired individual.

"Easy now," said the man, "You don't want me to cap your buddy here do you?"

Minamo watched as the man placed a pistol against the man's chin. She heard gunshots and felt the air brush against her head. The seven individuals looked at the people they had killed.

"Who the Hell were they?"

"OpFor," said the dark skinned man, "Definitely."

"These guys? They weren't any trouble whatsoever."

"We need to find the HVI," said the dark skinned man, "She's the reason we're here."

"And if she dies it'll be our asses," said the dark haired man, "I know."

Ken held a girl against the hard floor. She had fired a black AK at him. This girl wasn't old enough to be his enemy. His left foot had tripped her, and his hands had removed her weapon.

"Who are you?"

"I don't have to tell you!"  
Ken put his foot on the girl's neck. He pressed his shoe against the girl's throat until she couldn't breathe. He watched as she gulped, he felt her body writhe as he continued to hold her down. He raised his foot, but only slightly.

"I'm Kagura! I go to high school!" Tears started to flow as the young girl started to cry.

"Where are your friends?"

"I don't know," the girl sobbed, "I haven't seen…wait. How do you know that my friends were with me?"

"You don't get to ask questions," said Ken, "Who's Minamo Kurosawa?"

"Coach? She teaches PE, why?"

"Right answer."

Ken stood up. A fist flew towards his neck. Ken blocked the blow. He subdued the girl again.

"Who the Hell are you?" asked Kagura.

"Just a friend."

"What kind of _friend_ tortures a girl?"

"Special ones. You gonna try to hit me again, or do you learn the first time?"

"No."

Ken let go of the girl. She turned towards him, backing up. Ken wasn't concerned about her attacking him now. He just needed to get her out of here.

"How do you know about Coach?"

"I work for the FBI," said Sugimori, "But I'm also a blood relative of hers."

"She never mentioned siblings."

"That's because she doesn't have brothers or sisters," said Ken, "I'm her cousin."

"Well why are you here?"

"ATGM, Advanced Technology for Genetic Manipulation." Ken looked at the suspicious girl. "I've dealt with them before, but we thought that their Untouchable Project was destroyed. Would you agree with me there?"  
Kagura shook her head. The sights that she had seen in the sunless void, there was no better name for them. Ken nodded.

"We need to leave."

"What about my friends?"

"Did you kill those people?"

"Yeah," said Kagura, "They hurt people I care about, I couldn't let them get away with that."

"You've had weapons training?"

"No."

Ken didn't believe her, but she was only sixteen. Something about her made him feel confident. But it was time to leave. Whether he had found everyone or not.

"Where are you going?" asked Kagura.

"Your friends aren't here," said Sugimori, "If I know anything about ATGM, it's that they have storage facilities in large cities."

"What are you saying then?"

"They're in Tokyo," said Ken, "Where else would they be?"

Tomo, Chiyo, Osaka, and Yomi were strapped onto stretchers. Their catatonic bodies were monitored by masked men, armed with G36 assault rifles. The dark room helped them to blend in with the dark walls. The sickly fluorescent light cast blue shades against the faces of the young girls.

The men were bored with their job. Being a part of the Execution Squad hadn't turned out to be as exciting as they had hoped. Instead of killing zombies, they were watching over sleeping children. The men didn't notice shadows moving towards them.

PFFT PFFT PFFT

"This is Shadow, we've found the hostages. We're ready to transfer."

"_Good_," said a voice over the radio, "_We need to move them before stage two._"

"Wilco, Shadow is out."

"I can't believe it was so easy to get in here."

"They just couldn't stand up to the Rangers could they?"

"Hell no they couldn't."

"What's stage two?"

"Jesus, how are you so forgetful? Stage two is when they level this building."

"Why the Hell would they do that?"

"I don't know and I most certainly do not care."

"Let's just go. You four can carry the HVIs."

"Always something."

"We haven't heard from the Execution Squad in a while Chairman."

"Find out what the damn problem is," said the Chairman, "We don't need to have a lack of security here."

"Yes Chairman."

The Chairman watched as the man walked away. Everything was going according to plan. Shadow was doing its job, and so were the other teams. He had a feeling that the Tokyo site would be destroyed soon. It was too bad really. He'd spent the past three years working on it. He was just glad that his science team had finally created a controllable subject. Now the invasion could begin.


	9. Betrayal

Dr. Wasanasong walked home from the office. The dark sky seemed to be covered with clouds. No one else walked along beside Wasanasong. The sky continued to darken, Wasanasong continued, step after step into the blackness.

_Whoosh_

A large black crow passed by Wasanasong's head. _These things are everywhere_, _despite the ongoing efforts of the city of Tokyo to stop the ever growing crow population_. The creatures were more than a nuisance. Tourists and Tokyoites had been attacked by the animals, some even claimed that the birds used their feet like fists.

The animal came back towards Wasanasong. The doctor watched as the animal zipped by again. The bird continued to fly by. The black feathered being started to give off a deep hoarse caw. Every guttural noise from its mouth was a demon's cry. Wasanasong tried to ignore the hellish sounds. The flutter of feathers, more crows appeared from the dark sky.

The animals landed on nearby shops and lampposts. They gave Wasanasong an evil look, as if the person was their next meal. The doctor walked faster. The crows continued to follow the person with their beady eyes. With a flutter of wings they took to the sky. One of the creatures swooped down at Wasanasong, leaving a painful peck that pierced the skin.

The doctor walked home, checking the sky every so often for the beasts. Wasanasong bandaged the hand that had been pecked by the crow. The wound was not life threatening, but it still worried Wasanasong. The doctor could remember feeling the crow's tongue probe the wound it had made. This made the doctor very uncomfortable, but Wasanasong didn't know why.

"I take it that the delivery system is a success so far?"

"Indeed," said a member of the Enforcement Squad, "But I don't know why it is that we have to put syringes into crows."

"Know your place," said the scientist, "The Chairman is the one in charge of your activities, do not question them."

"Oh shut up," said the man.

"I will have you killed if you continue to say things like that."

"Whatever." The man walked away. He went back to the cages filled with crows. He shook his head at the scientist. _Who the Hell does he think he is?_ Reaching down the man pulled another crow out of its cage.

The scientist left the room. He walked down the hallway, deep in thought. The idea to use crows had been his from the start. Didn't the Chairman realize that? Didn't the Chairman realize that the success of the operation was all from his work? His team had been the first to create a successful subject back in St. Petersburg. His team had been the first to create a delivery agent that could survive direct exposure to sunlight. He had been the one to create a human subject. Now his team had even created a subject that could be controlled!

_Yet even after all of that work, the Chairman still treats me like someone he could just throw away. I was the one to create these creatures. The other research members are completely incompetent. Only my team has given any results, all the others can do is follow our checklist._

The Chairman watched the scientist through the security monitors. The egotistical man was useful, but only to a point. Hopefully the Army Rangers had already destroyed the storage facility. Whatever had been housed there was useless anyways, merely uncontrollable animals, ready to attack whatever came their way. The new subjects had proven to be controllable, now they simply needed to be spread throughout the city.

The scientist had come up with an ingenious delivery method, to infect the crows. The virus caused an increase in aggression, so the crows would attack people and each other. The virus could then be passed on through the saliva of the crows. If their projections were correct, it would take only two days to create an outbreak. The incident would provide cover. That was what the Chairman needed. He needed something to distract the world from what was really being done. That was the only point for these installations. They simply needed to distract John Q. Public, until their work was done.

"This is Shadow, we have the HVIs."

"_I'm afraid that a pick up is not possible at this time. Recommend that you find somewhere to dump your catch._"

"I thought these people were important."

"_Just make sure that they don't become a part of the explosion, President's orders._"

"Where should we take them?"

"_The police station, the embassy, a park. I don't care where you leave them, but they're simply dead weight right now._"

"Understood, we'll find someone to baby-sit them."

"I can't believe this."

"Neither can I. Where should we take the kids?"

"The embassy has marines, hopefully they have four extra beds."

"Sounds like a plan, what's the plan for encounters with law enforcement?"

"Shoot to kill, we've been over that already."

"It's just not good for a Mexican to be a cop killer."

"Shut up Alonzo."

"Hey," said Alonzo, "You can't deny."

"And you can't speak English."

"Puto."

"What the Hell does that mean Alonzo?"

"Fuck off."

Ken walked beside the street, he turned his cell phone on. There were several missed calls, and one wasn't by Nyamo. Ken listened to the messages. They were full of surprises.

"Good news," Sugimori said to Kagura, "Your friend Sakaki is alive."

"That's it?"

"Not only her but so are Miss Kurosawa, or Coach as you call her, and the other teacher."

"Miss Yukari?"

"Yeah," said Ken, "I can't believe I forgot."

"What happened to them?"

"They were nearly killed by our friends. Everyone we know is very popular right now. Thank God I asked for someone to watch them." It was a lie, he had only wanted someone to look after his cousin, but he couldn't say that to the kid.

Ken punched numbers into his phone.

"_Hello?_"

"Pick us up," said Ken, "_Now._"

"_Ken?_"

"Now Nyamo."

"_Who's with you?_"

"One of your students Nyamo, are you headed towards the car?"

"_What about Sakaki?_"

"She'll be fine," said Ken, "We need to get to Tokyo, tonight."

"_Why?_"

"I can't tell you over the phone," said Ken.

"_How full of shit are you?_"

"We're on the road before the building, we'll meet you here."

Ken heard an angry growl, then a dial tone. He wasn't too concerned about that. Ken kept walking down the road. He had no idea how long it would be until his cousin showed up. Ken only had three days, three days to stop whatever ATGM was planning.

"What is your problem?" asked Minamo.

"Is this car clean?"

"Cleaner than her car," Minamo gestured towards Yukari.

"Hey Navy boy," said Ken, "Has this vehicle been sweeped for bugs?"

"How did you know I was Navy?"

"When you have an eagle holding a trident on your shirt, it's a dead giveaway."

"We don't have the equipment to look for bugs," said the man, "Why?"

"I can't tell you now, where's the rest of your team?"

"In the other vehicle, where are we headed?"

"We need to drop her off," Ken pointed at Kagura, "at the hospital. She has bruises and God knows what else. After that, we need to go to Tokyo."

"I'm fine," said Kagura, "Why can't I just go with you guys?"

"Don't you want to keep an eye on your friend?" asked Sugimori.

"Yes."

"Then why don't you go over to the hospital," said Sugimori, "She's over there."

"Kagura," said Minamo, "Sakaki was transferred to another hospital by the U.S. Navy, they told us that she was being placed onto a battleship. Why don't you go home, it's almost dawn."

Wasanasong sat in the dark apartment. The past few hours had been very painful. The wound had started to burn, now the doctor couldn't move the arm. Lungs would not draw in more air. Wasanasong knew that death was inevitable, but the doctor didn't know why.

"You guys are Army Rangers?"

"Yeah."

"What do you want?"

"Can find beds for these people? President wants them to be safe."

"We can find blankets for them to lie on," said the ambassador, "I'm just surprised that you don't have somewhere special to take them."

"So were we," said Alonzo, "Thanks for the help, we need to ditch this gear and get changed."

Ken drove his car towards a non-descript building. It had taken him a day to find the location, the ATGM research facility. Today was the last day he had to stop ATGM. He had asked the Director for more assistance, his boss had agreed. A group of Army Rangers had been tasked with helping Ken. The teams were called Shadow, Scar, and Orca for some reason. Shadow would be going in with Ken. Ken pulled the bolt back on his HK 416. The Rangers would be using Mk 16s. They needed to get inside quickly, just incase ATGM had a secret escape route.

Ken watched as a man came up to him. He was Hispanic and dressed in a black uniform with the word SWAT on his chest. "I'm Master Sergeant Alonzo Gonzales. Army Special Forces will be entering this building from the roof, we're going in from a side door. We have explosives in place and in one minute Private Samson is going to blow it away."

"We're gonna tell them we're coming?"

"Yes Special Agent Sugimori. These guys haven't given us any other option." Alonzo waved towards other men. Ken put on ear protection, he had a feeling that he would need it.

"Hey kid, you're not allowed to be here."

"Oh, why not?" asked the girl.

"This area is being quarantined," said the guard, "You are to leave the area at once."

"But I _really_ need to get something from this building," the girl said while leaning back slightly, pushing her chest forward. "Do you mind if I just take a minute?"

"You need to leave now or I will have you arrested."

The girl pouted, she slunk away. _Damn it_, thought Kagura, _How do I get inside this building? These are the people who tried to kill me and my friends. I'm going to kill them all._ Kagura could remember being shoved into a sewer by them. She remembered how they had beaten her until blood ran down her legs. How those men had strangled Sakaki until she had nearly died. How they had threatened to cut them into pieces that they would then feed to those monsters. Kagura wanted to destroy them all.

"Tell me little girl."

A man stood next to her in the dark alleyway. He held a rifle in his hands. It was like nothing Kagura had ever seen before. His face was partially covered by a black fabric. Kagura reached for the knife in her coat.

"Patience," said the man, "Don't do anything stupid. Just leave your knife in your coat Kagura."

"What do you want?" Kagura placed her hand at her side.

"The same thing you do, only my reasons are different. Will you do whatever it takes to win? Will you strike first, will you move fast, will you destroy all your foes with a passion?"

"Winning is all I care about," said Kagura. Her face hardened, her fists were clenched. There was nothing in her eyes, but a passion for destruction. The fire in her eyes, that was what the man wanted to see. She wasn't as skilled as he was, she wasn't as strong, but he couldn't be seen here. He couldn't trust the Rangers, even if they didn't know that they worked for the Chairman. They might have orders he didn't agree with.

"If you make it out of that building, there's something you need to know." The man turned around and started walking away. "You'll want to keep an eye on the sky." The man turned his head, with his eyes facing her he jerked his head forwards. Kagura raced after the man. He leaned against a brick wall.

"If you want to go inside this building," said the man, "I can help you."

"Why are you wasting my time?" yelled Kagura, "You already know that."

"Do you see this?"

"Just get me inside the building!"

"What is this thing I'm holding?"

"A see-through thing with bullets in it," said Kagura, "Now how do I get in?"

The man handed Kagura a Nike bag. _Why is everything black?_ As the tomboy grabbed the bag she nearly fell forwards. _Damn that's heavy._

"You might want to read the instructions in that bag," said the man, "It will help prevent the accidental death of the operator." The mysterious man walked away, the black rifle was no longer in his hands. Kagura looked inside of the bag. Most of the items were labeled in English, not a language she was fluent in. Two things stood out to her, a black pistol, and the black rifle the man had held. The long gun had _XM8_ on the side.

"Hey Wasanasong," said a man, knocking on the door of an apartment, "Open up!"

An evil howl greeted his ears. The man began to back away from the door. He had never heard anything like that sound before. It had been something from the depths of Hell, the man was sure of it. Whatever was wrong with Wasanasong's room, he couldn't handle it.

CRASH

The man turned around to see a hand attempt to claw at him through door. The man ran off screaming. The hand continued to thrash about, demolishing the door. A figure stumbled out of the doorway. It was Wasanasong, the first victim of ATGM's Project Cassius. People opened their doors to see what had happened. Wasanasong let out a roar and headed towards them.

SLASH

The monster's head landed on the floor, its body fell to the ground. People gasped at what they saw. One of the other tenants, was holding a samurai sword. Nyamo watched as blood dripped down the length of her katana. She sheathed the sword, she hadn't been sure why Ken had left it in her house. _That damn man thinks that I need him to take care of me all the time_. She shook her head before returning to her room.

Kagura shot the lock off of the door. Her left foot slammed the door out of her way. Two men stood raised their assault rifles.

BRATBRATBRAT

Kagura watched as the men fell down. Her side slammed against the floor. She looked up to see a Kalashnikov pointed at her face. Kagura's left hand lashed out.

BAM

Smoke rose from the barrel of the Five seveN. Kagura placed the pistol back into its holster. So far the instructions that the man had written were helpful. How to reload the XM8 and Five seveN was something that Kagura was happy to know. The other information about properly wearing the body armor, and entering rooms had also been helpful. But the most important thing he had given her was a single sentence. _Hesitate and you will die_. Her last fire fight had certainly proved that.

Ken shoved a man through a window. Ken heard screams as his body plummeted towards the Earth. Sugimori ducked down, sweeping the area with his rifle.

"Clear!" yelled one of the Rangers.

They weren't moving along very quickly. The guards had progressively become more dangerous. Initially only idiotic criminals had stood in their way. Now Ken and the Rangers were fighting against people who moved with skill and coordination. They had almost been killed five times. Only luck and their skill had saved them.

_We have to find our way to the top_, thought Ken, _I need to see the man who's in charge of this research facility._ Ken moved down a hallway. One Ranger led the way for them. Ken's left hand was on his foregrip. They moved down the hallway, slowly, intelligently. Ken was starting to lose his patience, they had been inside the facility for nearly an hour. He only hoped that the Special Forces team had secured the executive suite.

"We're headed to the research labs," said Alonzo, "Ken you said that they were on the bottom floor right?"

"Yes, but I need to get to the top of this building."

"The Green Berets have that area secured by now," said Alonzo, "We need to move to the labs."

"Listen to me Sergeant. Nothing in this building is as important as the top floor. The people who call the shots are up there."

"Well the brass call my shots," said Alonzo, "And they want me to secure the labs."

"I'm going to the top," said Ken, "You can go to the labs if you like."  
"You're crazy," said Alonzo, "We've been having problems with these guys as an eleven man team. How are you going to fight them on your own?"

"You said that the others have cleared those floors right?" said Ken, "That should mean that I won't have any problem whatsoever."

"You crazy bastard," said Alonzo, "If you're going to the top, then I'll send two guys up with you."

"Sounds good to me," said Ken.

"Eisenberger, Richardson, get this man to the top floor," said Alonzo, "We'll see you on the Blackhawk out of here."

"Yes sir," said the two privates. Sugimori didn't share their level of optimism. ATGM had annihilated people of their caliber before. Doing it again wasn't impossible.

"This floor is clear sir!"

"Good. We need to secure the rest of the conference rooms so the HVI can be extracted."

"Yessir Sergeant Major."

Ken's team watched the private run off. They were surprised by the lack of resistance on the upper floors. Considering what the Rangers had been forced to get through, this was ridiculous.

"Who's the HVI?" asked Eisenberger.

"I don't remember hearing about anyone we were supposed to protect," whispered Richardson, "Do you?"

"No I don't," the words barely left Ken's lips.

A man walked up to the Sergeant Major. Ken couldn't believe who it was. The Sergeant Major saluted the individual. Two men with Kalashnikovs stood nearby.

"Wait a minute," whispered Eisenberger, "Is that the HVI?"

"Why didn't the Green Berets shoot those guards on site?" whispered Richardson.

"The HVI is the man in charge of this facility," said Ken, "We need to stop him."

"Earth to lawman," whispered Richardson, "Those guys are just as good as me and Eisenberger, and there are thirty of them."

"We only need to get rid of the ones right next to that man," said Sugimori, "Do you think we can do that?"

"If we do we'll get court-martialed."

"That man is the reason so many people had to die," said Ken, "I really don't give a fuck whether or not I get in trouble, so long as I catch him."

"He's the reason there were girls with bruises in a basement?"

"Yeah," said Ken.

"What do you think Richardson?"

BRATBRATBRAT

Ken fired his HK 416 at the two guards.

"EB, GO GET HIM!"

The young Jewish man ran towards the Chairman. He was knocked to the floor. The Chairman picked Eisenberger up, he twisted the young man's head in an impossible movement. Green Berets rushed through the doors.

BRATBRATBRAT

Ken and Richardson fired at the mass of soldiers. They ducked behind walls as rounds peppered where they had just been. Two Green Berets appeared behind Richardson. Ken dropped them in an instant. Richardson threw a flashbang into the room. Ken rushed in just as the grenade went off. He dropped enemies left and right. Richardson knocked the Chairman to the floor. Ken stood over the man.

"Hello, Special Agent Sugimori."

"You two know each other?"

"Yeah," said Ken, "He was the Deputy Director of the FBI."

"I'm surprised that you found our facility here, Ken."

"Keep your weapon trained on him," said Sugimori, "You saw what he did to Eisenberger."

"I'm not gonna forget something like that," said Richardson.

"Don't kill him," said Sugimori, "At least not yet."

"You don't understand what I'm doing here Ken," said the Chairman, "You don't understand why I joined ATGM."

"I don't need to," said Ken, "How are you going to deliver this outbreak? The idea of infecting the water supply didn't work in Russia."

"ATGM isn't some renegade company," said the Chairman, "We're only doing what needs to be done."

"For who?"

"For the world," said the Chairman, "We're making it a better place to live in."

"By killing over one million people here in Japan?"

"It's a necessary sacrifice," said the Chairman, "We just needed to distract the world, so that our real goal could be carried out. Children had stumbled onto our operation for years. They were all eliminated, at least until the police started to discover the bodies. Ever since then we'd been forced to store them, but luckily Shadow blew up the storage facility. That helped to destroy the evidence."

"What goal?" said Richardson, "What goal was so important that you had me murder children?"

"We're protecting your country," said the Chairman, "We're protecting the United States. Surely you can't be angry about that."

"Funny," said Sugimori, "I don't see how murdering Japanese will make the United States safer."

"We only need to distract the world," said the Chairman, "When they look this way, your country will do something it's wanted to do for a long time."

"What's that?" asked Richardson.

"Some secrets," said the Chairman, "are worth everything. My coworkers don't understand that. That's why I need to kill them."

"Tell me how you're planning to spread this disease."

"The Green Berets will be back soon," said the Chairman, "You won't stand a chance. It'll be easy for them to kill you, as it was for me to snap that kid's neck."

BAM

The Chairman's head exploded into a red mist. Blood spattered onto Ken's face. He wiped it away with his sleeve.

"I told you not to shoot him," said Ken.

"He didn't do it."

Smoke rose off of the barrel of a Five seveN. Ken couldn't believe who it was. He shook his head in disgust. _Why do people do stupid things like this?_

"Freeze!" yelled Richardson.

"Don't worry," said Ken, "She won't hurt us."

"Who the Hell is she?"

"You know those girls you rescued? She's one of their friends."

"Bullshit," said Richardson.

"We need to go!"

"Go where Kagura?"

"Their delivering the virus by air!" yelled Kagura.

"How?"

"Through the crows that infest Tokyo!" she yelled.

"When did they start?"

"Two days ago!"

"Just calm down," said Ken, "I want you to get us a ride Richardson."

"Only the Master Sergeant can make the call, or one of the other noncoms."

"It's a good thing I'm here then," said Alonzo.

"What happened to the rest of the team?" asked Richardson.

"They're on the roof," said Alonzo.

"Where's the HVI?" asked a Green Beret that burst through the door.

"He's dead," said Alonzo.

"Ah shit."

"We need to take to the skies," said Alonzo, "Where's the rest of your team?"

"It looks like they're dead," said the Green Beret, "Who killed them?"

"We did," said Alonzo.

BAM

"Where the Hell did you get those weapons anyways?" asked Ken.

"From a friend," said Kagura.

The last chapter will be number ten end of Author's Note 


	10. The End

RATATATATAT

Shot rained down onto the murder. Ken sprayed them until they didn't get up. The Blackhawk chased after the birds. Some smashed against the windshield. Others were sprayed out in a plume of feathers from the machine's rotor blades.

"_What the Hell are those things on the ground?_" asked the pilot.

"Alonzo!" screamed Ken, "Spray them with the minigun!"

"Those things are civilians!"

"Those things will _kill_ the civilians!" screamed Ken, "Hit 'em with the M134!"

The rounds shredded the zombies. Their forms withered away under the minigun. Ken noticed that there were still crows all around them.

RATATATATAT

Ken continued to spray them with his AA-12. Black feathers floated all around him. The sound of death filled his ears as the birds continued to fall. It was sad really. They couldn't allow any infected crows to live, which meant all of them had to die.

"Where are the other choppers?" yelled Kagura.

"_En route_," said the pilot, "_ETA thirty seconds._"

"What does that mean?" asked Kagura.

"Shut up and shoot these damn crows!" yelled Ken.

"I don't understand half the words that come out of your mouth Sugimori," said Alonzo, "because half of them sound 'mash' something."

The Master Sergeant continued to fire his minigun at the creatures on the street. He aimed at the huge groups of slow moving people. The rest he left unharmed.

_How much longer can we keep this up?_ Ken looked at everyone who stood next to him. _Before we run out of ammo?_

"_There are the other birds ladies and gentlemen. They sure are a sight for sore eyes!_"

"What the Hell is that pilot whining about?" asked Richardson, "We're the ones doing all the hard work!"

The Blackhawks moved beside the giant skyscrapers of Tokyo. It was a ballet of steel eagles flying around concrete oaks. They each went their separate ways. They had a city to clear. Ken knew that there work wasn't done yet, not by a long shot.

"Where the Hell did you get those weapons anyways?" asked Ken.

"From a friend," said Kagura.

"I'm sure."

They had run up to the roof as the Blackhawk had landed. Ken noticed someone emerge from the shadows. The man's face was partially covered with black fabric. _He'll never change. No one does that partial face thing anymore._

"Good to see people I can trust."

"What's the CIA doing here?" asked Ken, "I thought you guys didn't deploy quickly."

"You're right," the man's face had tightened, "We've known about ATGM's plans for quite some time. People have been holding back important information from you Ken. Now there's only one thing you need to know. ATGM has plans to deliver this virus to China, and North Korea. The outbreak in Japan is meant to serve as a distraction. To keep CNN and the world busy while the last two communist countries on Earth are destroyed from within."

"Sounds like some conspiracy theory bullshit," said Alonzo, "How can we trust a spook?"

Ken looked at the dark skinned man.

"He's an old friend of mine, and he sucks at lying."

"I know where they are," said the man, "Where ATGM is storing the virus. They really are foolish. They have all of those pathogens stored in two separate parts of Tokyo city. I'm going after the one nearby," the man handed Ken a slip of paper, "Don't take too long."

"Are you just going to let him go?" asked Alonzo as the man jumped over the side of the building.

"He's made up his mind," said Ken, "And we have to stop these untouchables before the Navy kills everyone in this city."

"Why would they do that?"

"Orders from the President," said Ken, "They were initially going to send in ground troops to clear the city out of human life, room by room. Now they've decided to launch several nuclear missiles. The new goal is to flatten the city."

"How long have we got?"

"Seventeen hours."

The Blackhawk moved towards Tokyo Bay. Ken watched as ships moved across the blue water. Any of them might have the virus onboard. Ken merely hoped that they could find it soon. The F-16s needed to know where to drop the napalm.

"How many fucking ships are there?" asked Alonzo.

"Only one that we care about," said Ken, "Find it."

"No shit Sherlock," said Alonzo.

"_Someone is locking onto us!_ _ Missiles in the air, chaff has been deployed!_"

Ken watched as a bright cloud moved towards two dark black shapes. The black shapes zoomed straight through the cloud. Ken watched as one passed right by him. The rush of air pushed him backwards. He fell, the helicopter was in front of him growing smaller.

_Oh God_. A fireball erupted before Ken as he hit the water. Shapes appeared in front of his eyes. The roar of jets filled his ears. He felt himself being dragged. Ken saw that one of his shoes was missing.

"Get up already!"

Ken's head turned towards the voice. _What?_ It was that girl again.

"Are you going to stay awake this time?"

"How did you survive?"

"Because I know how to swim," said Kagura, "Any other stupid questions?"

"What's gotten into you?"

"Nearly dying for the fifth time today has gotten into me!" Kagura looked down at the American. "I thought you were some badass FBI agent anyways."

"Well I'm not," Sugimori pushed himself off of the ground, "I just happen to be a good shot."

"It's too bad one of us doesn't have a phone."

"What about the virus?"

"The ship blew up," said Kagura, "I don't really know why."

"I do."

Ken turned around, to see the Director.

"Come on Special Agent in Charge," said the Director, "It's time to go home."

"What happened to the others?"

"The Maritime Self-Defense Force is looking for them right now," said the Director, "It's a good thing we had an Apache following you guys. Once it found the location of the air defenses, we were able to destroy the tanker ship with napalm."

Ken tried to shake the water out of his ears. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Then again he hadn't believed that ATGM was still operating a week ago.

"Some people in Washington really wanted this outbreak to work," said the Director, "The Attorney General is asking us to find them. Will you come home Ken?"

"What happened to Murphy?"

"Murphy is dead, or he's missing. That CIA man sure is hard to find. You need to come home Ken, you've been here for ten years now."

Ken looked at the Director with a slight amount of distrust.

"Why do you need me home so bad Director?"

The Director pulled out a revolver.

"I don't. I just can't let you stay in Japan."

Kagura backed up towards the water. The two agents trained their M4s on the young girl. _Damn it. All of my guns are gone!_

"What the Hell is this?"

"Don't be stupid Ken," said the Director, "You need to come back with me to the states, end of discussion. If you don't, my agents will kill you, your cousin, and your little friend here."

"You killed Murphy didn't you?"

"I didn't," said the Director, "The Army Rangers did."

Kagura kept backing up. She was getting closer and closer to the water. The agents kept their assault rifles trained on her. They weren't going to let her swim away.

"You helped set this up didn't you?"

"ATGM? No, I set up the people who destroyed the facility. I'm sure you met Dick while you were inside the research facility. I needed someone that I could trust, he never suspected that I would double-cross him."

"How so?" asked Ken, "He kept going on about how he was making the world a safer place."

"He _was_ making it safer," said the Director, "He was giving me the opportunity to show Darpa something very interesting. But the Pentagon wanted to use this agent on a friendly nation. I just couldn't allow that, we would need them in the coming war."

"What war?"

"You may not believe in conspiracies Ken, but we do. The Chinese, the North Koreans, they need to go. We were hoping that ATGM could supply us with the materials to accomplish this."

"You were going to kill a billion people?" said Ken, "That sounds like something beyond the level of the FBI."

"I'm not just a cop," said the Director, "I'm a member of the United States Army. Now that we have stealth drones that are mission capable, we can destroy any military force on the planet. Planting the virus in China would give us an excuse to go in. We'd be able to say that we were preventing a civil war. The Diet and the South Koreans have all agreed to our plans, even the outbreak in Tokyo. Destroying those two nations is the first step to unifying the world Ken, and you can't stop it."

"You're right about one thing," said Ken, "The unification of mankind is something I can't stop. But you're not an officer Mr. Director, you're just scum."

"Kill them both," said the Director, "Our work here is done."

Ken grabbed the Director, forcing the revolver under his jaw.

"What happens if I kill you?" asked Sugimori.

"You'll be hunted the rest of your life, and it won't stop our attacks on those two communist nations," said the Director, "You won't last a week, 1st SFOD-D will come in and kill you. My agents will kill your family, and everyone you know. The virus can't be stopped now Ken. It's already in Beijing Square, millions of people will die, it's sad but unavoidable. When the dust settles, we'll still be on top, but no one will come close to matching our power."

"You won't live to see it," said Ken.

Ken fired the revolver twice. The bodies of the two guards fell limply onto the sand. Ken slammed the revolver against the Director's skull.

"We have three officers down," Ken said into one of the guards' headsets, "We need an ambulance ASAP. The Director is unconscious, I say again, the Director is unconscious."

"_We understand. We have a medical team on standby, HRT is on its way._"

"Good, Special Agent Sugimori out."

"Why didn't you kill him?" asked Kagura.

"I didn't need to," said Ken, "He told me everything I wanted to know."

"What good will it do to keep him alive? He's the reason I almost died," said Kagura.

"If he's alive he can go to jail," said Ken, "I need to tell someone important about this, but I don't know who I can trust."

"Neither do I."

"Murphy."

"The one and only," said the CIA operative, "The Director of Central Intelligence will be very interested in your conversation with the Director of the FBI. It sounds like he was doing things behind the President's back, and that's a big no no."

"How can we stop the virus?"

"My friends and I have already stopped it, do you know why Delta Force wasn't guarding your cousin?"

"You?"

Murphy shook his head. "The Director instructed the President to send them to Thailand. That was where the virus was being stored. They managed to take it out one hour ago, they cut it pretty close."

"This was just crazy," said Ken, "I think I'm done for a while."

"That's good," said Murphy, "I wouldn't want you to be killed anytime soon."

Kagura couldn't understand what they were saying to each other. Their English was too good, and hers was simply too poor. She just hoped that they were done, for good this time.

"Let's go home," said Ken, "I'll drop you off."


End file.
